Catch a Falling Star
by SrngDrgn
Summary: Cana's cards have rarely been wrong, but Levi can't help but wonder if her interpretations are skewed by her drinking habits when a single card plunges Team Natsu into chaos. Will they be able to solve the mysterious fate surrounding Lucy before it's too late? Mostly humor with hints of NaLu & GaLe.
1. Seven of Swords

**A/N:** So, here's the first chapter! This chapter includes minor swearing, violence and a pantie shot.

Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima

**Chapter 1: "Seven of Swords"**

* * *

_"Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, never let it fade away."_

* * *

The sun is low in the eastern sky, casting long, window-shaped patches of light across the cavernous main room of the Fairy Tail guild hall. Raucous calls and laughter echo against its stone walls, filling the space with sound and energy and half of the tables are occupied already despite the early hour. The smell of eggs, bacon, and pancakes waft from the kitchen, slowly blanketing the room with mouthwatering scents.

A shapely girl sits on a bar stool with her elbows pressed against the rough counter, her left hand cupping her delicate jaw. Two long bangs frame her face and a blue ribbon holds a clump of her golden locks up into a side part. The rest of her hair flows down her neck to stop just below her shoulders. A few men ogle her from the far side of the hall, noticing her short skirt and a black spaghetti strap top that showed quite a lot of her bountiful cleavage. Her midriff is mostly covered, although a small section of her back can be seen - the fabric of her shirt hiked up as she leans against the counter.

The blonde sighs, the lids covering her large brown eyes heavy as her unseeing gaze wanders over the large mission board to her right. The cork is almost completely hidden by a mass of job notices, most of which sported rewards of more than 100,000 Jewels.

An older girl with long, flowing white hair and shining blue eyes emerges from the kitchen, her exposed, slender arms skillfully balancing four plates of food. She makes her rounds through the tables, her ankle-length maroon dress swaying with her movements as she sets down each plate in front of their owners. Returning to the bar, she places an order of fish and chips in front of the blonde with a cheerful smile. "Here you go Lucy," the white-haired girl says as her large blue eyes look over the blonde's head to lock onto two teens sitting comfortably in the distance.

A young man with long, wild, black hair sits at a table near the back of the hall. His face and muscular body glint as the hot sunlight hits numerous metal studs, 24 of which adorn his angular face. Although that face is turned away, a thick, heart-shaped piece of iron is visible between his pointy teeth. One of his elbows is nestled on top of the short, blue-haired girl beside him who currently is staring down at a large book on the table in front of her; hazel eyes unmoving and cheeks touched with pink.

Lucy glances down at her food, her eyes flicking to a fork as the waitress places it next to her plate. "Thanks, Mira." she responds, her voice low and emotionless as she reaches for the utensil. Her brows knit together slightly as she stares at one of the fish fillets and, with a startling intensity, she picks up the fork in her right hand and stabs the fish mercilessly.

Mira jumps at the sudden noise and pulls her gaze away from the couple, her eyes wide. She stares at the blonde as she continues tearing into her food. "Lucy, is something wrong?" she asks, her lids lowering as her brows come together in a worried frown.

"Hm?", Lucy pauses and looks up at Mira, brows raised and a chunk of fish almost to her lips. She catches Mira's worried expression and her features soften. "No," she reassures the white-haired mage, plastering quick smile on her face. Her fork continues to her mouth and she chews her food slowly. It doesn't take long for Lucy's smile to falter and, after her mouth is clear, she continues, her voice soft, "I've just been thinking a lot lately..."

The large guild doors swing open and hit stone walls with a loud BANG. Two boy-like figures and what looks like a flying ball of fur rush through the open doors and it closes behind them with slightly softer explosion of sound.

"I WIN!" the shorter boy shouts triumphantly, his voice cracking in excitement as he punches the air above him, the red fairy tail tattoo on his shoulder rippling as the muscle under it contracts. His spiky, pink hair waves slightly with his movements, a clump of it moving in front of eyes the color of hardened lava. Although the temperature is quite high, he wears a black, one-armed jacket trimmed in gold. A white scarf is wrapped around the jacket's high collar; its ends streaming behind the boy. The jacket is zipped closed and tucked _under_ the bottom half of his two-piece jacket, but _over_ his white, baggy, knee-length pants. A thick brown belt holds everything tight to his body, the gold buckle glinting in the sunlight.

The pink-haired boy flashes a wide, toothy grin as he strides confidently into the guild hall.

"Tch. I got here first flame-brain." The other boy argues, his voice calm, but tinged with annoyance. His cold, dark blue eyes glare at the his rival as they walk in side-by-side and his face tilts back and turns to the side as his muscular arms cross over his well-toned chest, partially obscuring the blue guild mark on his right pectoral. His short, black-blue hair sways with the movement, a clump of bangs obscuring his right eye momentarily. An intricate silver sword dangles from a chain around his neck, shimmering as he steps into a patch of light.

A light blue blur swoops in behind the two teens and beelines it straight to the bar. "LUCY!" it cries in a high boyish voice as it attacks Lucy's head, burrowing into the silky strands. She relaxes noticeably and a genuine smile graces her face.

"Hey, Happy. I got your favorite food today." she responds, waving her fork over her shoulder, a piece of fish stuck in its tines.

The sky-blue fur ball turns his head to stare at it with large black eyes and an even larger grin. "FISH!" he shouts happily, his eyes following the fork it moves away from him.

"Welcome home!" Mira greets the three boys, her smile returning. "It's not often Gray and Natsu arrive at the same time." she continues in a quieter tone, her gaze shifting to Happy.

The blue anthropomorphic cat chomps down on Lucy's fork and grins. He swallows before replying. "Aye, they made a bet!" He glances back at the pink-haired boy with a mischievous grin and puts a paw in front of his mouth. "Natsu challenged Gray to a race and Gray only agreed if the outcome determined who would go with Lucy on her next mission."

* * *

"You're just afraid of Juuuvia." Natsu teases, smirking. His gaze goes to Lucy, his smirk turning into a boyish grin. "Oye, Lucy!" he calls, turning to make his way towards her, his right hand high and waving.

She ignores him and continues teasing Happy with fish, an eyebrow twitching.

"No I'm not! And I won, dumbass." Gray's muscles tense and his brow twitches in anger. He grabs hold of Natsu's scarf and tugs him back.

The dragon slayer stops and tilts his head back to look at his rival, his expression suddenly serious. "You calling me a liar, stripper?" he growls, his own brow twitching as he smacks Gray's hand away.

"What if I am, squinty-eyes?" Gray spat back, bringing his hands together. "You can't even admit you like her." he adds, his voice low and eyes flicking in Lucy's direction.

"What are you talking about? Of course I like Lucy."

"As in _like_ like, idiot."

"We're best friends."

"Liar."

With a WHOOSH flames covered Natsu's fists and he pulls back to shift into a battle stance. "I'm not a liar!" he yells, swinging his fist at Gray's face.

* * *

"What about Juvia?" Mira asks Happy, her eyes shining in amusement.

"Aye! Gray has to go on a mission with Juvia if he looses." he replies, and the both start giggling.

"Idiots..." Lucy mutters darkly, her shoulders tense. She leans her head forward, her bangs shadowing her face and her knuckles turn white as she clutches the fork in her right hand, the smooth metal bending slightly from the pressure.

"L-Lucy?" Mira and Happy squeak, glancing from her to the fighting mages in confusion as Lucy slowly removes herself from her chair. Her bent fork clattering to her plate as she shoves away from the counter.

Happy jumps up next to the plate of food and stares after her, unconsciously sniffing as the delicious smell of fish wafts up to him. His ears twitch, but he doesn't move.

* * *

Gray easily dodges Natsu's fist, his eyes lingering on the other boy's bright orange flames as surprise flickers across his face. Ice forms on Gray's arm and the right side of his mouth twitches into a smirk as he blocks the dragon slayer's next enraged blow, this time a kick to his right side.

"Predictable." he scoffs, using some of the momentum from Natsu's kick to spin around the fire mage and plant a kick to his back.

Natsu flies forward, but catches the edge of a table, using the surface to slow his momentum as he twists his body around and lands on the opposite side, yet again facing his rival. Just as Natsu is about to launch into another attack, he catches a flash of gold and grins as Gray suddenly finds himself face down on the floor as a small, but powerful fist collides with the back of his head.

"Oww! Who did that?" he demands, scowling as he picks himself up to a squat and turns to face his attacker. His face pales as he catches Lucy's expression – an expression only Gray can see with his unique vantage point – and he jerks back in surprise, his hands flying back to catch his fall.

Although Lucy's eyes are open and alert, wet tears glimmer at the inside corners. Her lips press tightly together and curve down, reflecting her brows as she catches the ice mage's expression.

"That was awesome!" Natsu congratulates her, grinning in glee and pride at his partner.

Lucy's eyes tighten in anger as her gaze shifts to the fire mage. She growls as her roundhouse kick hits him in the face.

Time seems to slow as Natsu falls face-first into a table, a surprised grunt escaping his lips as the wood cracks beneath him.

Gray's eyes widen, a slight blush appearing as he catches a glimpse of her panties - bright blue with stars.

Lucy continues to glare at Natsu, her whole body trembling. The majority of the guild burst into shouts of approval and cat calls, but they don't affect the busty blonde, for once.

In the middle of the room, a long-haired brunette wearing a blue bikini and burnt orange capris freezes, a barrel of alcohol halfway to her lips. She glances to three cards lying face-up on the table beside her, and then back at Lucy and Natsu. "Shit." she says in a slightly panicked voice, setting the half-empty barrel down on the table behind her.

"Oi, what did ya do that for?" Natsu grumbles, massaging his stinging cheek as he stands back up and looks at Lucy. "You finally decide you wanna fight?" he asks grinning lopsidedly.

Without a word, Lucy turns and stalks towards the guild doors, the soft sound of silent tears hitting the floor in her wake.

"Luce?" Natsu asks, his body already moving to follow her, concern plain on his face. He quickly moves to block her path and reaches out with both hands to grip her shoulders. "Hey, what's wrong?"

She looks down, her bangs covering her eyes in darkness so he couldn't see her expression. "Leave me alone!" She shouts angrily, glaring up at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. A red tinge was already forming at the corners of her eyes and her normally chocolate brown irises took on an amber hue as the salt stung them.

His releases her left shoulder and he moves to wipe away her tears with his right hand, eyes wide. "Hey, why are you-"

Her eyes tighten as she smacks his hand away and pulls her other shoulder out of Natsu's grip.

He stands there in stunned silence, frozen in place and his hands fall limply to his sides as he watches her jerk the door open. "Lucy..." His expression hardens and he rushes out after her before she could disappear completely, "Oye! Where do you think you're going?" he shouts.

"Away." she replies, slamming the door in his face with enough force to send him flying again, this time to land on his back.

* * *

"What the hell did you do, Natsu?" Gray chokes out, his voice weak and eyes still wide and glued to the guild doors.

"What _did_ I...?" Natsu echos quietly, sitting cross-legged on the hard wood floor and rubbing his sore face. He frowns, forehead furrowing as he squints at his lap, his arms crossing his chest. After a few moments of concentration he huffs and looks over at Gray. He clenches his hands into fists as flames surround them for the second time today.

"What the hell did you do droopy-eyes! She punched you first!" Natsu shouts, suddenly rushing at the dark-haired mage.

"I didn't _do_ anything!" Gray spits back, instantly back on his feet, his stance wide. "...and she hit _you_ harder, idiot!" He looks at their clasped hands in surprise as he catches Natsu's punch, his ice instantly putting out Natsu's flames.

"I didn't..." Natsu starts to say, a look of confusion plain on his face, "I don't know." he ends lamely, a tinge of fear in his black eyes.

Gray stood there in shock, hand still wrapped around Natsu's fist.

"You should go after her." a throaty feminine voice cuts into the tense silence.

Both boys whip their heads around to stare at the dark-haired woman approaching them and Gray immediately releases Natsu's fist. She holds a single card between her index and middle fingers, the back facing up.

"Eh?" Natsu frowns at the card, his right hand reflexively grasping it as she forces it into his hand. He raises a brow at her as he flips the card over.

Gray leans closer to get a good look.

Much like the back, the face of this particular card is awash with many shades of blue. A white crescent moon hung over the scene, partially obscured by a large stone building. A building that looks suspiciously like-

"Hey, is that our guild?" Natsu asks, leaning closer to the card.

Gray snatches it out of his hand. "Of course it is! This is _Cana's _card." Gray yells waving it above his head. The two boys glare at each other for a moment before Gray lowers the card and points at a different point on the left side. "I'm more concerned with this cloaked figure here. It looks rather suspicious."

The figure in question is running towards the lower left corner of the card; a long, hooded black cloak shrouding both face and gender. Over the far shoulder is a long, bulky bundle out of which protrudes four plain sword hafts. More seem to be hidden within and a single blade sticks out of the far end. Behind the figure, two more swords are suspended in the air, frozen in time as they fall towards the ground.

"Eh? A thief?" Natsu asks, scratching his head.

"What's so confusing about that?" Cana asks, putting her hands on her hips and raising a brow at the boy.

"We don't have any swords." He replies, his voice rising as he gestures to the guild with both arms.

"It's called symbolism, flame brain." Gray sighs, turning to Cana with pleading eyes. "What does this have to do with Lucy?"

"Well, to put it simply," Cana replies, "...she's planning on leaving."

Natsu glances at the doors and back at Cana. "Wow, you predicted that?" he asks, pointing at the doors.

Cana sighs and shakes her head. "My cards don't usually pick up on trivial things."

Gray frowns, turning the card in his hand to stare at the image again. "But this is a thief right? Wouldn't it mean she stole something?"

The guild crowds around the three mages as Cana starts her explanation. "Think of each card as a Kanji character. One card can have multiple meanings and readings, but only one is correct for each situation. You first need to know the context surrounding the card to truly understand its meaning."

Cana takes the card from Gray, her finger pointing to the figure. "As you noticed, this card depicts a thief and it's most common reading is that of loss, betrayal, or lack of security." Her finger shifts to the figure's feet and she continues, "However, it can also indicate that someone is running away from a problem." Moving her finger left, she taps the two swords behind the figure. "...and these signify a hasty decision."

Natsu looks at her blankly, brows furrowed in concentration. He reaches out for the card, and she relinquishes it to him somewhat reluctantly. "Well, I can't see Luce stealing anything. She's too nice." His left hand goes to his face, expression partially obscured. "What do you mean by trivial?"

"Well, everyone walks through those doors on a daily basis, so there's nothing particularly significant about it." the brunette explains, gesturing towards the guild doors. "My cards also don't tend to pick up on things that I already know." Her voice slows, and her brown eyes become slightly unfocused.

"So, when you said leaving..." Gray prompts, his voice tapering off as he glances towards the doors.

Cana nods and smiles sadly. "Although it may not be by choice, I'm certain she's going to leave the guild today."

"WHAT?" the Fairy Tail mages roar, shock apparent on their faces.

The short blue-haired girl Mira had eyed earlier strode forward and snatched the offending card out of Natsu's suddenly loose grip before he could turn it into ashes, panic and confusion making her hands shake as she stares at the card.

The metal-studded teen stands behind her, easily towering over the short mage as he studies the card in her hands. He glances over to Natsu and snorts. "Bunny Girl sure has stolen something and it sure ain't swords."

"Gajeel!" The blue-haired mage scolds, glaring up at the metal-head.

"No way," Natsu growls, turning towards the doors, "she wouldn't leave like that." Before he could take one step, however, Mira's quiet voice stops him in his tracks.

"She might." Mira answers, staring at the bent fork in her hands, her thumb caressing the smooth surface. "She's been rather troubled lately." she adds softly.

Natsu's eyes widen, his pupils dilating. "She wouldn't..." he says, recoiling. He freezes in place, his expression shifting from shock to confusion as his gaze lowers to the floor and brows furrow in concentration. One hand runs through his hair nervously, his nails scraping against his scalp, while the other curls into a tight fist, knuckles turning white and nails digging into his palm. His right hand stops at the base of his neck and he rubs it.

Murmurs fill the room and, although the pink-haired boy is deep in thought, his ears twitch as certain words filter into his consciousness.

"...something to do with him."

"...dense as a rock."

"...loves this guild."

"...kidnapped..."

"...secrets..."

"...swords..."

The fire mage tenses as a sudden thought hits him, his expression obscured from the others as he removes his hand from his neck. His whole body starts to shake and his hands open. He stares at the shallow indents in his palms, clenching his fists and opening them as if surprised he made the marks himself. The air around the mage starts to shimmer and the already warm room becomes unbearably hot. Sweat pours freely down the closer guild members and he can distantly hear doors opening and closing as others run from the heat. They all know what happens when the Salamander gets emotional.

"Get back, Levi." Gajeel says, picking the blue-haired mage up by the back of her shirt and plopping her on a bar stool further down the bar and away from the now intense heat.

She huffs, arms crossed as she glares up at the overprotective mage, a small blush on her cheeks. "You didn't have to do that." she mutters.

A cold hand touches Natsu's shoulder, and he rolls away from it, growling in irritation as he snaps his head to the right and glowers into Gray's dark blue eyes.

"What do you think you're doing, idiot." the ice mage growls, shoving his rival towards the doors with both hands. "Lets find her before she does something stupid."

He didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

**A/N:** Hopefully you liked it! I'm a bit nervous, but please don't hold back. I _love_ getting crits no matter the tone. Seriously, fire away.

I hope you guys don't mind that I wrote it in present tense. I usually don't, so if you find any slip-ups, please tell me. As with most of my writing, all of the content is improvised. I didn't plan what would happen ahead of time and I don't have an outline. I just have a vague idea that slowly manifests over time, so don't be surprised if you ask me a question and I have no idea what the answer is.


	2. Look, a Distraction!

**A/N: **So this one took longer than I expected. I wanted to set a schedule of updating every Thursday, since that's when I originally posted. Sorry it's a bit late. I'm on vacation at the moment. ^^" Also, thanks for the encouragement everyone :D Hopefully this doesn't disappoint. I'm planning on keeping the REAL reason secret for as long as possible (until it has to be revealed or the day ends), but be sure that I'll drop hints of all sorts of different theories all over the place. ;)

This chapter includes a kiss, an assumption, and lots of running.

Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima

**Chapter 2: "Look, a Distraction!"**

* * *

"_Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, save it for a rainy day."_

* * *

The sun is halfway between horizon and zenith as Lucy crosses the main bridge separating Fairy Tail from Kardia Cathedral. She slows slightly, skidding and pivoting her body to the right, leaving Mongolia's main thoroughfare to follow a stone-lined canal. The sharp CLIP CLOP of her high-heeled boots are offset by the muffled thumps of her keys moving loosely against the restricting leather of their case.

She continues following the canal as it curves to the left, her footsteps slowing as she walks down the familiar path. A small smile graces her lips as she watches the shimmering water to her right, tension leaving her shoulders at the soothing sound of water slapping against stone. She approaches the low dividing wall between the street and canal as she catches sight of her reflection. Squatting down, she stares at her tear-stained cheeks and red, puffy eyes. Her right hand comes up to gently prod the puffy flesh, her lips curving down into a small frown. Sighing, she stands back up, her hand flowing down her face to drop to her side.

The press of bodies surrounding her becomes harder to navigate as she nears Mongolia's shopping district. Although there are no shops on Strawberry Street, the market proper is merely a block away. Locals and tourists pour out of the market streets, bags of newly bought produce hanging from their arms. Lucy's stomach growls at the sight, her right hand instinctively going to her stomach as she looks down in dismay. "That shitty cat probably ate all my fish." She grumbles, glancing back towards the guild for the first time since she left.

She reaches the end of another intersection, hugging the wall of a bakery to her left to avoid a gaggle of girls cooing over the newest copy of Sorcerer Magazine. The smell of fresh-baked bread assails her mouth and nose, making her mouth water and stomach gurgle even more. Distracted by the intoxicating smell wafting towards her, Lucy steps out of the building's shadow and into something that stops her in her tracks.

* * *

Natsu's nostrils flare as he takes a deep breath through his nose, his brows knitting together in concentration. Wrinkling his nose in disgust and snorting out the offending air, he glares at a small salon to his right. The acrid smell of nail polish and strong perfume wafts out of the open windows to assault the dragon slayer's sensitive nose and he pulls his scarf up to mask the smell with his own smokey scent. "She better be there." He grumbles, glaring at the bare back in front of him as they run down the street. The locals give the dragon slayer a wide berth – highly aware of how destructive he can be – as his unique salmon-colored hair and white scarf send whispers tearing through the crowd.

"Quit your grumbling. This way is faster." Gray retorts, a hand tugging at the waistband of his black pants as he scans the crowd. A couple of girls heading in the opposite direction notice the motion and stare, faces turning bright red as the boys come closer.

"Oi! Keep your pants on, stripper." Natsu snaps, eyes flicking to Gray's hand before moving back to the crowd. His gaze lingers on a few blondes as they fly past and he shakes his head. "All wrong." he mutters under his breath.

"Eh?" Gray looks down and yelps, quickly removing his hand. The girls let out a few disappointed groans as they pass and the ice mage scratches the back of his head in embarrassment. "Thanks, flame brain." he whispers out of the corner of his mouth.

"Tch." Natsu turns his head to the side to look down one of the numerous side streets. He sniffs again, frowning. A gentle wind is at his back, blowing the scent of that damn salon his way. He groans in frustration and turns his gaze towards the canal shimmering in the distance.

"Could that be-?" Gray starts to ask, motioning to a blond off to the right.

"Nah, her hair's too long," Natsu interrupts him, not even looking at the girl.

"What about-"

"Wrong voice," he snaps irritably, his movements becoming more and more pronounced as he stews in his frustration. "Not that Luce would be talking much right now." He mutters, eyes half-lidded and slightly unfocused as turns his head to better direct his sensitive ears.

Before Natsu could focus much, Gray speaks up again, his tone exasperated. "Are you even looking...?" Gray's voice peters off as he freezes in the middle of the street, his mouth hanging slack.

Natsu groans, not seeing Gray's expression. Holding a hand against his forehead, he replies, "She's _not_ on this street, droopy-eyes. This isn't her usual rou-" He collides with Gray's back, sending them both careening onto the hot stone pavers. "Damn it, Gray! What did you stop for!?" he shouts, jumping up onto his feet.

"Isn't that...?" Gray chokes out as he fights to regain his breath, pointing to a scene unfolding on at the end of the street.

"For the last time, she's- " The dragon slayer's gaze finally lands on the scene before them, his eyes locking onto a group of five figures clustered around the street corner. His brows shoot up and eyes widen in recognition.

The ice mage glances at the other boy and pales. "Shit."

* * *

"Did you see the king's face?" a tall, light-blonde-haired youth crows, mirth pouring out of his whole being. A short blue vest trimmed in thick gray fur and lined in gold lays open, exposing a chest covered by a thin, translucent black shirt that hugs his neck. The bottom of his shirt cuts off about an inch below his pecs, leaving the rest of his chest bare. The only markings on his body, excepting the white Sabertooth guild mark on his left shoulder, is a short diagonal scar over his right eye. His forearms – covered by shoulder-length dark-blue gloves – curl in front of his bare stomach as he bends over slightly in laughter. His spiky hair sways at his convulsions, a crystalline metal pendant dangling from his left ear.

"Only Natsu-kun has the guts to do something so ridiculous." One of his furry companions answers, his arrogant voice clear despite the numerous voices surrounding the group. The small, cat-like figure walks to the teen's right, his red-furred arms crossed over his pink belly. The majority of his fur is a dark red color while his face, belly, and paws are the light pink of exposed skin. His hairline converges into a widows peak and curves around his eyes to form small sideburns. The only clothing on the small creature is a plain blue vest with three black buttons.

The black-haired teen to the blond's left nods at the red Exceed's words, his expression serious. The right side of the teen's head is obscured by his relatively tame, if messy, short hair and, unlike his more emotional companion, very little of his skin is exposed. A long, black, ankle-length cloak trimmed in gold drapes over his shoulders and is secured by a white strip of cloth at his neck. The white guild mark of Sabertooth is embroidered on the left shoulder of his cloak, identical in placement to the blonde's own mark. The high collar of his gray shirt covers his neck and the bottom of his shirt is tucked under the thick, dark-gray sash of his decorative battle skirt. From beneath the cloak peeks plain brown boots and steel-armored leggings.

"Fro thinks so too." Another small creature nods from the other side of the dark-haired teen, a pink and black spotted, frog-shaped hood wobbling slightly with the movement. A furry, lime green cat face peeks out from beneath the hood, eyes large and round and mouth open in a smile. The rest of the Exceed's body, including his tail, is covered in a pink suit.

Just as the four Sabertooth mages reach the corner of the street, a vaguely familiar figure steps out in front of them and collides with the surprised dark-haired teen. He grunts slightly as he stumbles backwards, hands instinctively latching onto the feminine figure to steady her. 'Fro' squeaks and hides behind the blonde mage, peeking at the newcomer from around the boy's legs.

"Oops, sorry." The busty blonde asks, blushing slightly as she quickly extricates herself from his grasp.

"You should be a bit more careful, Lucy." he scolds, a serious expression quickly returning to his face.

Her head jerks up to study his face and she gasps in surprise, "Rogue?"

A boyish laugh makes the girl jerk her head up to look at the blond-haired boy to her left. "Sting!?" she asks, her voice raising an octave.

"The one and only, baby." He answers, ending with a confident smirk that shows off his pearly white teeth and elongated, fang-like canines.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

Sting laughs, hands on his hips, and leans forward. "Where's Natsu-san?" he asks, a wide boyish smile spreading across his handsome face.

She grins, glancing over her shoulder and gesturing in the direction of the guild. "Knowing him, either brawling with Gray at the guild..." Her eyes lower and her features soften as she turns away, mouth turned down in a small frown. "...or sulking like a little kid somewhere."

"Oh?" He asks, amusement sparkling in his eyes. "Do I sense a lover's quarrel?"

"W-what? No! We're best friends!" she shouts, waving her arms across each other and shaking her head from side to side despite the blush creeping across her cheeks. She tries to back away from him, but he grabs her wrist.

Sting eyes her, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Oh, so he hasn't claimed you yet?"

"That idiot?" she scoffs, turning her head to the side and tugging her hand out of his grasp. She crosses her arms across her chest and turns away, the movement making her breasts bounce slightly. "He's a lost cause."

He suddenly cocks his head to one side, one eyebrow raised and back straightening. His smile disappears for a moment as he concentrates. "Heh, sounds like lover boy is looking for you." He teases, his smirk returning as he turns back to Lucy.

"It's not like that!" She says, her eyes widening and body stiffening as she whips her head around to stare in the direction she had come from. Her eyes roam frantically over the street. "Where...?" Her eyes dart around and, as she turns her head, lands on Sting. She winces at his cocky smirk and looks away. "You're lying aren't you?" she asks, pouting.

"Sting never lies!" the red cat shouts, glaring up at Lucy with his arms crossed. She looks down at him in surprise.

"Fro agrees!" The other Exceed says, nodding his head and moving to stand beside Lector. Unlike the red-haired Exceed, he was smiling and held a non-aggressive stance.

"Who said I was talking about Natsu-san?" Sting winks at her, his smirk creeping further up the left side of his face.

"Sting." Lucy says hesitantly, her voice low in exasperation as she squirms under his amused gaze.

"_Yes_?" He replies, drawing out the word playfully.

She sighs irritably and glares at him. "I _really_ don't want to talk to him right now. Could you just... distract him or something?" she waves her hands negligently in the direction she came from.

"And why would I do that?" He purrs, closing the distance between them and towering over the girl.

She gulps, taking a step back. "Uhm, because... you're looking for... and I uh..." She finds herself staring at his well-defined abs in an effort to avoid his suddenly intense eyes. She quickly looks away as her cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

Sting suddenly grabs Lucy's chin and pulls her into a kiss, his lips grinning against hers as his indigo eyes look over her shoulder. He chuckles as he releases her lips, his mouth moving to her left ear. "You can thank me later." he whispers in her ear, giving it a playful lick before pulling away.

The two exceeds look up at the blondes in disbelief and even _Rogue_ looks at the two with a stunned expression, all three of their mouths hanging open. A couple of the girls – who previously had been gushing over the latest Sorcerer gossip – stop and point to the two mages in excitement, causing the others to turn and stare at the "couple".

"That was my first kiss you asshole!" Lucy screeches, giving Sting one of her famous 'Lucy Kicks' in the gut.

Caught off-guard, Sting finds himself crashing into something soft and squishy. After a few moments of confusion, he looks up to find the gaggle of girls surrounding him with concern. He smirks up at them and gives a wink. "Thanks for catching me ladies."

With Sting out-of-the-way, Lucy finally sees her two fellow guild mates standing in the street behind the other Sabertooth mages. "So that's why..." she mutters, turning her head to glare daggers at Sting. Face bright red in embarrassment and anger, she moves a hand to her ear in an attempt to wipe his saliva away, disgust plain on her face. "Ewww." she mutters, shuddering as she turns on her heel and stomps off towards her apartment.

Sting, now standing, laughs at Lucy's retreating back, his eyes closed and head tilted back as scandalous whispers ripple through the crowd like wildfire.

"You sure that was wise?" Rogue says finally, his voice emotionless despite his barely perceptible smile.

* * *

"Why is _he_ here?" Natsu asks, his voice low and angry. He starts advancing again, a menacing aura surrounding the dragon slayer as he glares daggers at his target. One hand went to his scarf, pulling it down and away from his nose. The annoying scent is still in the air, but he ignores it.

"Hold it Natsu." Gray says, his voice calm with an angry edge. He puts a hand on his shoulder, gripping it despite the intense heat roiling off his pink-haired frenemy. "I don't like this any more than you do, but we don't want to start another guild war." he tries to reason with him, eyes darting around the gathering crowd and wincing.

"But that cocky bastard laughed at her! _Again!_" he growls, continuing his advance and dragging Gray with him.

"Hey! Cool it!" Gray shouts, anchoring himself to the street with a chunk of ice.

"Let. Me. Go." Natsu hisses, turning his head to glare at Gray, their noses almost touching.

"Oh, I see what's going on here." Sting's voice cutting through the air. The street is mostly empty now and most of the shops have closed their doors and drawn their shutters.

"No wonder she thinks you're a lost cause." Lector pipes up, smirking from beside his best friend.

Both Fairy Tail mages turn to glare at the approaching figures with nearly identical expressions of annoyance. "What's that supposed to mean?" they shout.

"Aw, that's so cute. You even talk in sync." Frosh says, nodding his head and giggling.

"What of it?" Natsu nearly growls.

"Hehe, Natsu-san obviously wears the pants in this relationship." Sting teases, now within arms-length of the Fairy Tail mages.

"Huh?" They both look down at Gray's pants, which pointedly were still secured around the ice mage's waist.

"But he-"

"Gah!" Gray quickly removes his hand from Natsu's shoulder and backs away after melting the ice around his left foot.

Natsu looks at Gray in confusion.

"I'm not gay!" Gray shouts, crossing his arms in front of his chest in an x, much in the same way Lucy had done earlier.

Natsu's eyes widen, his face contorting in disgust as he moves away from Gray. "Oye!" His head rapidly moves from Gray to Sting. "Me and that ice princess?" he exclaims, pointing at Gray. "No fucking way!"

* * *

Happy finishes Lucy's fish, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth as he stares at the guild doors. Levi sat beside him, eating the last of the fries while pouring over Cana's card. Gajeel sat on her opposite side, munching on the fork Lucy had bent earlier with an aloof indifference. Jet and Droy are standing behind the blue-haired mage, arguing about what the card meant.

CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH

Levi glances over at Gajeel with a raised brow. "Isn't that an indirect kiss?" she asks, eying the fork suspiciously.

The iron dragon slayer smirks, taking a pointed bite out of the handle. "So what if it is?" _What are you going to do about it?_ His gaze challenges her. "I'm not going to waste good food."

She huffs, and returns her gaze to the card, a slight blush creeping up her neck.

Mira looks at the two with amusement.

"Why did you stop me, Mira." the blue Exceed asks, turning his big eyes on the white-haired beauty in front of him.

She leans across the bar counter and pats his head with a cheerful smile. "Someone needed to finish this food before it got cold." she replies, gesturing to the plate before him.

"Aye!" he says, patting his stomach appreciatively. "Fish should never go to waste, even if it is cooked." His frown deepens and he narrows his eyes slightly in suspicion. "...but anyone could have finished it."

"True" she laughs, scooping the empty plate up in one hand and retreating to the kitchen, a knowing smile on her lips. "...but Erza and Juvia should be returning from their missions today." she adds as she disappears through the kitchen doors.

Happy and Levi stare at the closing doors with horrified expressions.

* * *

**A/N:** So, I realize that Sting might be a LITTLE out of character here, but that's to be expected with how little we've seen of him so far. I'm not sure if Frosch's gender has been cleared up yet, so until then I'll refer to the Exceed as "it". If anyone has proof, please say so in a review or PM me. I'll change the gender in this chapter as soon as I have a definite answer.

**EDIT:** So Frosch is a boy! Woo mystery solved. Thanks xXxSatasixXx!


	3. Damage Control

**A/N:** Sorry I'm a bit late with this update. I had a bad case of writer's block for most of the week and another fanfic idea has been plaguing me.

If you haven't read my profile, every time I edit these chapters, I update my progress. I have a goal of 3,000 words for each chapter (not counting author's notes) and I have 6 chapters planned for this arc and a total of about 30 for the entire series. ...If I'm lucky and manage to stick with this schedule, that is. Since there was a 10 day gap between chapters 1 and 2, I decided to post this on the 31st.

This chapter includes assumptions, convoluted love triangles, and lots of damage control.

Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima

**Chapter 3: "Damage Control"**

* * *

"_For love may come and tap you on your shoulder some starless night."_

* * *

Levy frowns at the slightly rumpled card lying in front of her as she chews on the end of the pen in her right hand. Three large books surround the card, their open pages overlapping with each other on the small counter space. Sitting to Levi's left on the counter is a distraught Happy, his ears drooping forward and as he stares at the smooth wood below him. Directly to the right of the blue-hued card is a sheet of paper filled with notes and conjectures:

* * *

**Running Away**  
An evil dark guild kidnaps her! - Happy  
She is affected by personality-altering curse - Laki  
She has a falling out with Natsu - Jet  
Natsu got her pregnant - Mira  
She gave up on Natsu and fell for a mage in a different guild - Cana  
She is dying or will die - Bixlow  
It already happened when she walked out of guild building early - Levi  
Not MAN enough - Elfman

**Theif**  
She is forced to steal something... - Evergreen  
Natsu's heart - Gajeel  
Fish! - Happy  
A spirit key - Kinana  
Something is stolen from her... - Bisca  
All her keys - Max  
Her favorite book - Levi  
All her food - Droy

**Hasty Decision**  
Taking a solo mission - Nab

* * *

To Levi's right, Gajeel shifts on his stool to glance down at what the solid script mage had written. The eight metal studs adorning his brows form into a sharp "v" as he gets half-way down the paper, his sharp red eyes pinned to his name. "What the fuck, shorty?", he asks as he glares at the side of her head.

She turns her head slightly, her right brow raised in a mixture of annoyance and confusion.

"I never said that!" he continues, gesturing to the paper.

Levi glances down at her notes, eyes immediately going to Gajeel's name. Her brows flatten as she recalls what prompted that particular line and her arms cross over her chest. "It was implied," she retorts, turning her head to glare directly into his eyes.

_Bunny Girl sure has stolen something and it sure ain't swords._

Unnoticed by the most of other members of fairy tail, a middle-aged man with short black hair pulled up into a point at the top of his head makes his way through the guild doors. His black eyes jump from person to person as he steps down from the main platform and makes his way towards the bar. Brows furrowed in worry and confusion, he stops behind Levi and looks over her shoulder at the list.

Gajeel turns slightly in his seat next to Levi and raises a brow at the older mage. _What?_ He thinks, smirking as he realizes that the blue-haired mage still hadn't noticed the older mage's presence. A few moments of silent conversation bounces between the two. A flurry of emotions flash across their faces and the newcomer's eyes widen in surprise._  
_

"Why don't we send someone to ask her?" he asks suddenly, startling the blue-haired mage out of her seat.

"Warren! Don't sneak up on people like that!" She scolds him, both hands gripping the stool behind her.

"Ah, sorry," he apologizes, rubbing his chin. His thin brows are curved, knitting together in concentration and concern as he looks down at the young mage. "Worrying like this is just a waste of time, no?"

"Aye!" Happy says, standing up from his position on the counter to the left of Levi's books. He grins up at Warren and nods his head. "I will go!"

Levi also smiles and picks up the offending card. "That sounds like a wonderful idea! With how uncertain the situation is, Natsu just might make it worse." Turning to the blue Exceed, she stuffs the card into the pack strapped to his back. "Ganbatte, Happy!"

"Arigatou, Levi!" he replies as white wings sprout from his back. Jumping into the air, he lets his wings take over and is soon pelting out of the guild.

* * *

Lucy unlocks the door to her apartment and cautiously opens it. After a slight pause with her ear pressed against the small opening, she takes a couple steps inside and peeks around the corner and into the main room. The room is covered in various shades of pink, the light colors warm and inviting. Her eyes flick to a square table, then a pink bed.

Both are empty.

She sighs, her whole body relaxing, and continues into her room, shutting and locking the door behind her. "I guess I should thank-" she starts to say, before suddenly reddening, her fingers moving to lips.

_You can thank me later_

Letting out a frustrated groan, she quickly moves across the room to lock all her windows. "Just who does he think he is?" she growls, angrily flicking the last lock into place.

Huffing, she stomps over to her bathroom and wrenches to door open. "Stealing my first kiss..." she mutters darkly, as she slams the door shut behind her and makes her way to the sink. Turning the cold water on full, she plunges both hands into the running water and splashes her face. Scowling, she wets her right hand and proceeds to rub her ear raw.

"Natsu better kick his ass."

* * *

Sting sneezes mid-punch, and a burst of light flys out of his mouth as he's propelled backwards into a brick wall.

Natsu blinks, surprised at the sudden shift in his opponent's position, and takes the full brunt of Sting's laser beam to his chest.

"What the hell?" he asks, standing up, his ruined and useless belt dropping to the ground as he stands up. With the restraints off, his scorched jacket pulls apart, revealing an impressive set of abs. The skin beneath his clothing, however, is perfectly fine.

Sting chuckles slightly with a cocky grin. "That girl of yours must be talking about me." He promptly sneezes again and Natsu starts to laugh.

"Must not be anything good." he retorts with a large, lopsided smirk.

* * *

A few moments later, face dripping wet and hair mussed from wind and water, Lucy grasps the edge of the sink and stares at her reflection. She sighs, eyes wandering to the tub. The blonde considers it for a moment, before shaking her head. "It's not even noon yet and here I am thinking about taking another bath!" she grumbles, snatching a fluffy, white hand towel and patting the lingering moisture from her face.

"Stupid Lucy."

Her stomach growls loudly in agreement and her head droops in defeat. Angrily throwing the hand towel in the sink, she trudges out of the bathroom, arms swaying limply at her sides. She opens her fridge with an uncharacteristically weak jerk, her eyes scanning the shelves for something to eat. To her dismay, the only thing that greets her chocolate eyes is the blinding white and metal of a decidedly empty refrigerator.

"Natsu and his stupid metabolism is going to kill me one of these days." she groans, pressing her head against the cool metal as she closes the door. Her eyes half-lidded and mouth forming a slight frown, she turns around and plops down onto an overstuffed red chair.

Her gaze moves the latest Sorcerer's Magazine lying open on the table and her brows pull together in annoyance. "Tch, my reputation isn't doing so good either."

Covering the entirety of page 5 is a picture of her embarrassing breakdown after her defeat against Flare. Natsu stands before her, holding her hand with a confidently reassuring smile and she looks up at him with tears streaming down her cheeks.

The main article starts on the next page, the headline heavily bolded and hard to miss: "The Mighty Salamander's Greatest Weakness?"

Huffing, Lucy turns the page, not bothering to read the article, which continues on to page 7. Halfway down the page is a subheading titled "Rivals in Love?" and on page 8 is another full-page photograph, this time depicting the end of yet another embarrassing and painful defeat. A fully clothed Gray is holding the unconscious and badly wounded celestial mage as Natsu stands over them, glaring off camera. A slight blush forms on Lucy's cheeks as she stares at the photo. "So that's what happened..."

Wincing at the thought of the water mage's overzealous imagination, she shakes her head and mumbles, "Hopefully Juvia hasn't seen this yet.", and turns the page.

A series of smaller photographs line page 9 as well of mentions of "one-sided love". The first depicts a blue-haired teen hugging Gray, an ecstatic expression on her cute face. Wedding gowns are prominent in the next two photos, the first of which depicts a surprised Lucy carried bridal style in the arms of an orange-haired young man with azure-tinted glasses an ecstatic grin full of love on his face. The final photo focuses on a pretty young woman with short white hair and kind blue eyes as she approaches a decidedly uncomfortable and confused Natsu.

On the opposite page is a "love chart" with hand-drawn head-shots and names printed neatly underneath them. Three pink arrows point at Lucy Heartfilia's head, one originating from Natsu Dragneel's signature smile to the right, another other from Gray Fullbuster's cool smirk on the left, and a third from a winking Loke below. Above Lucy's head is a large red question mark. A triangle is shown between Gray, Lyon Vastia, and Juvia Lockster with pink arrows pointing from Juvia to Gray and Lyon to Juvia. A double-sided red arrow labeled "rivals" connects Gray and Lyon and an identical arrow connects Gray and Natsu. Finally, a pink arrow originating from Lisanna Strauss points at the back of Natsu's head.

"Huh, this is surprisingly accurate..." she concedes, eyes flicking over the chart. "...although, where did they get the idea that he loves me?", she continues, frowning at the pink arrow linking her to Natsu, a strong blush reappearing on her cheeks. She scans down the page, noting the solid square indicating the end of the article. Just as she is about to turn back to the beginning and actually start reading the article, tapping interrupts the silence of the room.

Startled, the blonde jerks her head up to see a frantic Happy banging his paw against the window over her bed.

* * *

"We don't have time for this." Gray mutters, arms crossed over his chest as he scowls into the T-shaped intersection. His back is pressed against the smooth metal post behind him, the gold-lined signs above his head proclaiming the street behind him as Baker Street and the other following the shimmering canal as Strawberry Street. Both streets are deserted now as word quickly spread of the dangerous fight between two notoriously destructive dragon slayers. Luckily, Gray and Rogue had managed to convince the two to stick to fist fighting, but even fists could do quite a bit of damage.

Lector and Frosch stand on the other side of the street from Gray, shouting encouragement to both sides.

"Why are you here anyway?" the ice mage asks, glancing over at the slightly older black-haired teen standing in the middle of the street a couple feet away.

Arms also crossed over his chest, Rogue doesn't immediately respond. His disapproving red eyes are locked onto the fight. He winces slightly as Sting punches through a brick wall, missing Natsu's face by inches. The frightened yelps of the baker and his wife within reach the group's ears followed by a lengthy round of swearing.

His expression darkening, Rogue walks over to the hole, muttering "Damage control." to Gray as he passes the ice mage. After a round of apologies and assurances that yes, Sabertooth would be paying for the damages, Rogue makes his way back to his "post".

Lector's shout of "Nice kick Sting-kun!" is heard in the background as a loud splash announces Natsu's sudden impact with the canal.

"I meant, why are you in Magnolia?" Gray clarifies as Rogue passes him, one hand reaching out to keep him from continuing.

Rogue looks Gray squarely in the eyes and repeats, "Damage control." He glances down at Gray's arm and back at it's owner with a raised brow. Noting the ice mage's confusion, the shadow dragon slayer continues, "As guild master, Sting decided to visit Fairy Tail to improve relations." He glances at the ongoing battle. "With Natsu-san in particular."

Said mage manages to extricate himself from the warm waters of the canal and, after drying himself off with a WHOOSH of fiery air, launches himself at Sting, yet again.

"He has a funny way of doing it." Gray says sceptically, removing his arm from across Rogue's chest and looking back at the battle.

Twin grins stretch across the dueling dragon slayers at their companion's words, an understanding passing between the two that didn't need to be said. Although they aren't holding back, they also aren't taking the fight all that seriously anymore.

"Nice right hook, Natsu-kun!" Lector yells and the two boys start to lose focus on the fight, eyes twitching in irritation.

"Fro agrees!" Frosch shouts cheerfully, his round, black eyes bright and shining in enthusiasm.

Finally snapping, Natsu and Sting turn angrily to the two Exceeds and yell, "Whose side are you on?"

* * *

Lucy awkwardly runs her hand through the soft tufts of blue fur belonging to the Exceed currently burrowed into her chest. She squirms slightly on the edge of her bed and glances at the open window as his tears wet her clothes and curve across her skin. The corners of her mouth pull down into a frown as her searching eyes don't find what she's looking for.

"What's wrong, Happy?" Lucy asks, trying and failing to keep the rising alarm out of her voice.

His long blue tail wraps around her right arm all the way down to her wrist. She jerks her arm away from her body as the white tip of his tail tickles the sensitive skin at the inside of her wrist. A surprised squeak leaving her lips.

"D-don't leave," he mumbles into her chest, sniffling and tightening his hold.

She looks down at him sharply, eyes widening and lips parting slightly in surprise. "Why would I do that?" she asks, moving his tail away from her wrist.

"Cana says you will," he says, looking up at her with tear-streaked eyes.

"Oye, what lies has that drunk been spouting this time?" she asks, brows furrowing in annoyance.

"But.. she was really serious, Lucy!" he says, suddenly springing from her chest and landing on the table. Shrugging the pack off of his back, he opens the flap and digs through it feverishly.

"Don't tell me..." she starts, eyes widening in alarm as he pulls out the now battered and worn magic card.

"Aye," he says sadly, ears drooping. "Cana made a prediction."

* * *

A young woman with long scarlet hair steps off the Mongolia Station platform, the moderate heels of her knee-high black boots clopping dully as they hit stone. Her navy blue, pleated skirt sways slightly with her movements, the fabric hindered by the glistening steel around her waist. The noonday sun gleams off of her simple steel breastplate as she makes her way down the street and a navy blue Fairy Tail guild mark peeks out from beneath a pleated left shoulder plate.

Her gauntleted fist pulls a large cart full of luggage behind her, the rattling wheels drowning out the whispers of "Titania" that ripple through the crowd in her wake. Although the streets are crowded, they quickly part for the imposing young woman and many are forced to quickly duck down side-alleys and adjust their routes as soon as they see her. Despite the general confusion and discomfort, most of the crowd smile with pride as she passes.

Another young woman steps off the platform and falls into step to the right of the armored Fairy Tail mage, her slightly wavy blue hair bouncing at the slight change in elevation.

"How was your mission, Erza-san?" The blue-haired mage asks cheerfully, giving the taller young woman a shy smile.

Erza the Titania smiles confidently back at her fellow guild mate and replies, "Did you know that hydras can only support a hundred heads?"

The teen shakes her head and replies, "Juvia did not know this."

"Apparently, they lose too much blood and go into shock," Erza continues, frowning slightly. "A shame really, I was hoping it would make it to a thousand."

Juvia looks at her in dismay, her mouth open in shock. "A th-thousand _heads_?"

Erza sighs and continues musing, not seeming to hear Juvia's remark. "Too bad monster meat tastes horrible or the townspeople would have had enough food for a month."

"H-how would you know that?" Juvia asks, horrified.

Erza winces, a look of disgust crossing her face at the memory. "Well, the first time I formed a team with Gray, Lucy, Natsu, and Happy we went on a mission to defeat the Dark Guild Eisenwald..."

"Juvia wishes Gray-sama would go on a mission with Juvia." she gushes, stars sparkling in her eyes.

Erza continues, unfazed by the interruption, "On our way back, we came across a canyon full of monsters. We were starving at the time and..." she trails off, a hand going to her mouth.

"Gray-sama ate it too!?" Juvia asks, distress clear in her voice, as both hands cover her mouth.

Erza nods, a look of shame on her face. "I am a horrible friend. Please punch me!" She shouts, looking at Juvia with pleading eyes.

Juvia shudders and looks up at Erza in pity and a little unease. "Juvia thinks you have suffered enough." She sighs and looks away with her hands clasped in front of her. "Poor Gray-sama! Juvia will make him an extra tasty meal today!"

Erza smiles and inclines her head as they turn onto the main street of Magnolia. "Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea."

BOOM! Both girls snap their heads to the left as a loud explosion shakes the entire town.

* * *

**A/N:** So, I decided to add a couple of Japanese words in this chapter:

Ganbatte - Good luck  
Arigatou - Thank you


	4. Here Comes the BOOM!

**A/N:** Sorry this is late. I ran into some major writer's block this week and finally solidified my ideas for this chapter on the day I planned to update. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to work through my new ideas so yeah. That's why this update is late.

Oh and look up "Think Twice" by Eve 6 (or better yet, the GaLe/NaLu AMV). :)

WARNING: There's a bit of gore in this chapter. I'm not one for downplaying injuries or purposefully skimping on details and I tend to have an iron stomach about these kinds of things (weirdly, it's exhaustion that makes me taste bile, not disgust). I'm not sure if I should up the rating for this it or not, so please speak up if you think I should.

This chapter includes an explosion, lots of blood, fangirls, and a very angry dragon slayer. The title of this chapter is inspired by P.O.D. and one of Natsu's lines is inspired by a writeworld prompt on Tumblr. :P See if you can catch it.

Fairytail © Hiro Mashima

**Chapter 4: "Here Comes the BOOM"**

* * *

_"Just in case you feel you want to hold her, you'll have a pocket full of starlight."_

* * *

Lucy sighs as her thumb glides across the ragged edge of the card in her right hand. What was once sharp enough to cut into wood is now dulled; worn and slightly crinkled. She frowns and fingers the plastic coating peeling away from the lower right corner. Scorch marks further proclaim the cause of the glaring imperfection and her frown deepens into a scowl. "He's always destroying things..."

"Aye! Natsu got really mad." Happy replies cheerfully, his childish voice loud in the otherwise silent room.

She looks up at him in surprise. "He was _mad_?"

"Aye! When Cana told everyone you were leaving, he said 'No Way' and got all fiery." He says, waving his fore-paws in his best imitation of Natsu's flames.

She giggles, a fond smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she glances down at the burnt corner. Her thumb caresses the scorch mark as her eyes roam about the rest of the card. "I wonder if-"

"Is that a flying fish?" Happy asks suddenly, interrupting Lucy as he notices something over her shoulder.

"Huh?" The blonde looks up from the card, the smile leaving her face as she stares at her partner in confusion. Noticing the direction he's staring at, she turns her head just in time to see a baseball-sized object hit the sliding, colonial style windows above her bed with a sharp TINK.

KABOOOOOM!

A surprised shriek forces its way out of Lucy's throat as a large explosion turns her window – and most of the wall surrounding it – into a gaping hole.

She drops Cana's card and reaches out to wrap her arms around the Exceed, tucking him against her chest as a strong, hot eruption of air forces her hip into the corner of the table. Her startled prisoner protests as her arms tighten around him, forcing air out of his lungs.

She winces, hissing as her knees slam into the hard floor, her large, yellow area rug doing little to soften her fall. Splintered wood and shattered glass follow soon after, cutting into her pale skin.

A smartly dressed young man with shaggy, vivid orange hair and azure shades appears behind Lucy in a sudden burst of light just in time to intercept a particularly large and pointy plank of wood.

THWACK! CRACK! THUD

The point slams into his gut, easily breaking the skin and tearing a hole into his stomach. The force of the blow sends him reeling backwards into the blond and she topples over with a startled yelp.

The unexpected motion forces her left temple against the leg of her table. Her forearms hit the floor and the right side of her head slumps limply against the course rug. Chocolate eyes roll up and eyelids close as her grip on Happy loosens.

"Lucy!" the young man shouts weakly, wincing in pain as he scrambles off of her limp form and turns to face her.

Face pale and hands shaking slightly, he presses two fingers against her neck, smearing some of his own blood on her pale neck in his haste. After a tense minute he visibly relaxes, sighing as he slumps back against the very table leg that knocked the girl out.

"Sorry Lucy," he says, smiling ruefully as thin trail of blood streams out of his mouth. He reaches up to grip the two-by-four protruding from his stomach and, with a pained groan, he wrenches it out of his body and tosses it to the side. His dark, warm blood splatters all over the rug behind his master.

Just as suddenly as he appeared, he's gone.

* * *

BOOM!

Natsu and Sting stare at each other in confusion with dark slanted eyes – blue slate meeting black obsidian – as an explosion punctuates their most recent impact of fist against flesh. Sunlight dances across their bare chests as they move with deep labored breaths and Natsu's scaly white scarf hangs loosely around his neck, revealing an old, jagged scar.

Startled by the loud sound, Frosch drops his entire hand onto the paving stones of Baker Street, the delicate ice cards shattering into millions of pieces. Gray and Lector, who are sitting on either side of the little pink-suited Exceed, flinch at the sound. Rogue's warm hand pats his small partner's head as tears run down the little guy's cheeks, drenching his frog suit with salty water.

Sighing, Gray unmakes the ice with a wave of his hand.

Rogue's soft expression jerks into wide-eyed concern as a faint shriek reaches his ears.

"What?" Gray asks, raising a brow at the usually emotionless young man.

Rogue raises his right hand, waving it in a shushing motion as he leans back slightly onto his left hand, elbow bending as he rolls to his side. Using his momentum and a push from his left hand, he raises to his feet and stands sideways to face the source of the voice.

Natsu breathes in sharply through his nose and his eyes widen as he instantly recognizes _her_ voice. "Lucy." he says, his voice low and thick with a jumble of emotions. He takes off in her direction, a fresh wave of adrenaline rushing through his veins with each step and his earlier exhaustion completely forgotten.

"Oye, Natsu! Wait up!" Gray shouts, cursing the hot-headed dragon slayer as he scrambles to his feet.

Sting stares at Natsu's receding back, his mouth slack in amazement. "How the hell does he do that?" he asks, stumbling over a bit to lean against one of the buildings.

"However he does it, you need a healer," Rogue replies, offering his support to the battered white dragon slayer. Sting hisses at the shift in weight and Rogue frowns. "...Did he actually break one of your ribs?" he asks.

"Two. He wanted it to be symmetrical apparently," Sting replies sourly as they head in the opposite direction. Their two exceed partners follow close behind them, Lector awkwardly patting Frosch's head as the frightened Exceed dries away his own tears.

"Ah..."

* * *

"Lucy, you're _heavy_," Happy whines as he finally wiggles out of her loose hold. Panting and wheezing, he flops down on the rumpled rug below him, his small body rising and falling slowly with each deep breath.

"I didn't think that would actually work." a high-pitched feminine voice floats through the room, it's owner huffing as she finally manages to crawl in through the large hole that was once a window. Jagged fissures spread out from the hole in all directions and wood, shattered glass, and a thick layer of drywall dust litter everything in a ten meter radius. White fluff spills out of torn bedding, coating Lucy's bed like snow. Very dirty snow.

The Exceed's ears twitch as a warm breeze enters the apartment and roils over it's occupants. The stranger's voice is nothing more than an annoying buzz to his damaged ears, but the breeze also brings a slightly sweet, coppery smell to his nose. Frowning and rubbing his ringing ears, the blue Exceed stands up and turns towards the new hole in Lucy's wall.

Slightly tanned, sand-colored skin glistens with sweat as the girl leans against a patch of undamaged wall. Her short, lavender hair is parted over her right eye, the ends curling outwards in feathery layers. Her muscles tense as her azure gaze lands on his cat-like form and the bloody figure next to him.

"Is she dead?" the girl squeaks, voicing words that no one in the room can hear, eyes widening in alarm as her hands move to cover her mouth.

Happy cocks his head to one side, brows furrowing in concentration as he tries to understand the noises coming out of her mouth. "Why are you here?"

Panicking, the lavender-haired girl backs away from the dreadful scene, face taking on a green tinge. She curls in on herself in an attempt to make herself seem smaller. "I didn't... this was... I just _killed_ someone." she rants, taking another shaky step backwards, her eyes glued on the aftermath.

"Watch out!" Happy shouts, rushing forward as the stranger takes one step to far.

"Aaah!" she squeals, arms pinwheeling as she tries desperately to regain her balance. It wasn't working.

White wings materialize on Happy's back as he leaps forward, a determined look on his normally cheerful face. Her body is nearly horizontal as his tail wraps around the startled girl's waist. Grunting, he pulls her back into the room. "Why are girls always so _heavy_?"

* * *

_"Is she dead?"_

"Who cares if she's dead? She kissed Sting-kun in front of him!"

"Yeah, wasn't that the whole point?"

"But death... Isn't that a bit extreme?"

"I don't wanna be a murderer!"

"Don't be such a crybaby."

_"Watch out!"_

_"Aaah!"_

Standing in the street below the window is a group of ten or so girls, some of whom look suspiciously familiar. All of them had at least one piece of Fairy Tail memorabilia on her person. Each one different both in color and style. They watch the hole, eyes widening comically in surprise as the strange lavender-haired girl starts falling backwards out of it. Sure the height isn't that much, but it would still hurt... and very likely result in a few broken bones.

"MEL!" two of them shout, rushing forward to catch the girl. They needn't have bothered.

"Are you really that shallow?" a very masculine voice growls behind them.

The girls poised to catch 'Mel' freeze, muscles tensing as they duck their heads. The other girls immediately spin around to face the new presence, guilt and shame pouring out of them like sap from a freshly tapped Maple tree. Slow and thick.

"Natsu-kun!" they gasp as he slowly advances, face darkened and eyes glowing a hot red-orange. Most of them back up in fear, some even sport varying shades of blushes as they realize he's topless. One girl in particular, however, stands her ground, arms crossed in defiance.

She has a tomboyish look about her, unlike the majority of her companions. She stood out, garbed in a loose white t-shirt that partially masks her modest bust and lean, athletic figure. Said shirt is un-tucked, covering the top of her khaki-colored cargo pants. On her right wrist is a black wristband with a dark cyan Fairy Tail logo that matches the color of her short, spiky hair.

"Paige" one of them whispers, tugging on the back of her shirt. "Paige, he's _angry_," she squeaks.

"Shallow?" Paige screeches, shoving the other girl away as her own anger bubbles up to the surface. "We're ridding you of a _weakness_, Salamander." She punctuates her words with a sharp gesture to the hole above her. The other girls wince and slowly make their way further from the window.

Eyes flashing dangerously, Natsu grabs Paige by her throat and pushes her against the brick wall. The girl's hands instinctively wrap around his wrist and she tugs at his palm, trying to slip her fingers under the unyielding muscle. She glares back at him with pale green eyes and doesn't make any noise, not that he gave her time to.

"I don't care who you are or what kind of screwed up reasons you have." he says, voice low as a fiery magical aura flows around him. Both their hair and clothes move with the unnatural wind. "If you've hurt Lucy in any way, I _will_ turn you into _ash_," he snarls, his mouth inches from her ear.

She nods very slowly, heart beating rapidly in her chest as adrenaline-laced fear floods her veins. "I-I U-understand." she chokes out, her whole body trembling. She stands stock-still as he releases her, his fiery aura vanishing instantly.

"Good." He says almost cheerfully as he jumps up to the hole in the wall and the other girls fall over at his sudden mood shift.

Once he is out of sight, Paige dashes away from the scene... and straight into Gray.

"Aaah! Don't kill me!" she screeches, ducking her head and quickly getting up to rush around the startled boy.

"Oye!" He shouts, right hand latching onto her arm. "Why are you running?" he asks, suspicion lacing his voice.

"Gray-kun! Uh... I um..." she stutters, looking around frantically for support. Her eyes land on his boxers and, blushing furiously, she asks, "Where's your pants?"

"Huh?" He looks down just as a stampede of frightened girls rush into Gray, mowing him over with flailing limbs. Paige is yanked from the ice mage's understandably loose grip and the girls continue down Strawberry Street.

"Was that Gray-kun?"

"Oh sh-."

"Did he see my panties?!"

"They're going to _kill_ us!"

"I don't wanna die!"

"Would you just _shut up_!?"

The girls disperse into different side streets, leaving poor Mel to the mercy of one soon-to-be _very_ pissed off dragon slayer.

* * *

Happy sets the doomed girl down by the nearest chair and she slumps into it with a sigh, her legs weak and trembling. She leans her head back against the top of the wooden chair and lets her arms hang loosely at her sides. Eyes closing, she forces the rest of her face into a blank mask. A slight tremor runs through her entire body as she crashes from the sudden loss of adrenaline.

DRIP, DRIP, DROP

The limp form of Lucy Heartfilia lay sprawled across the rumpled yellow area rug that previously covered most of her apartment. Debris and dust thickly coat her slender form and darken her pale skin. Blood oozes out of a series of nasty cuts along her right arm, forming thin streams of dark red that pool below her elbow. A particularly nasty cut intersects with the now severed right strap of her black tank top and numerous cuts of varying severity crisscross her back. Some splinters and shards of glass protrude from her exposed skin. They quiver slightly as her back rises and fall with each breath. The most worrying, however, is the blood glimmering from the left side of her head and darkening her matted golden hair.

"Hey Lucy, we-" Happy's cheerful voice stops short as he finally notices Lucy's condition. Tears form at the bottom of his eyes and spill over slightly as he zooms to her side. "Lucy! Lucy, wake up!" he shouts, his voice high and penetrating as he shakes her undamaged left shoulder. She doesn't move.

Mel's eyes snap open move slowly to the prostrate girl, her muscles tensing again as she stares at Happy. The muscles in her throat move noticeably in her stretched neck as she gulps down a sudden abundance of saliva.

_"Good!"_

The lavender-haired girl jumps, gasping as her head jerks to the right.

His face is turned away, his lips curved in a pained smile as he focuses on the girls outside. His right arm grasps the edge of the hole, lose drywall grumbling between his tense fingers. His other hand is higher on the opposite wall, gripping it with white knuckles.

"Shit," she whispers, cheeks flushing as her azure eyes flick down to Natsu's bare chest. She stares at that chest, concentrating intently on how his muscles move as he makes his way into the room with practiced ease. Sweat trickles down her face as she jerks her eyes down just as the top edge of his scarf comes into view. Her finger nails bite into the seat of the wooden chair below her; the soft wood malleable to even _her_ weak grasp.

"Luce?"

Gritting her teeth, Mel looks away and jerks her head down to stare at the floor below the table. She glares at the floor as tears threaten to blur her eyes. She closes them, willing her unshed tears away as she waits for his reaction.

For the inevitable confrontation that could quite possibly turn her into a pile of ash.

* * *

**A/N:** So, I really got stuck with this one because I'm not all that good at making up villains and I wasn't sure which direction I wanted to take. Should Lucy shrug off a blow like that and kick their asses? What kind of explosion was it? Should I get mages involved? Should I have them kidnap her? And then I realized: "Huh, I haven't really given Happy any opportunities to 'shine'..."

Hehe, I've been reading a bit to much Spike x Buffy lately (almost wrote Spike x Lucy... now THAT would be a horrible mistake of a relationship)... I almost called Sting Spike... there are quite a few similarities really... although Spike is snarkier... and eviler.

Also, even though it may look like I don't respond to reviews, I just use the PM system instead since my responses tend to be lengthy and I don't want to pad my notes more than I already do with my randomness. So please! Feel free to leave a review, even if it's something short or you think I'll hate you for it (hint: I won't hate you, even if you say it's a pile of crap. I just take it as a sign that you care and work harder next time).


End file.
